“Unexpected” is episode five of season one of Star Trek: Enterprise.
Archer is having a shower when gravity fails. He contacts the bridge and Reed says they are having a little trouble with the gravity plating. He hopes it’s no inconvenience. When will it be back online? Trip says any minute. Gravity returns.
T’Pol is choosing her breakfast. Dr Phlox says she isn’t being very adventurous. This is a traditional morning meal on Vulcan. She’s not on Vulcan; try the blueberry pancakes. Human food doesn’t agree with T’Pol. Phlox tells her the Vulcan digestive tract is very adaptable. When in Fellebia, after all. T’Pol finds smelling the food enough; she doesn’t want to eat it. She orders water, carbonated, and Phlox comments that that’s adventurous. What comes out is a black sludge.
In engineering, Trip is being inundated with various system problems when Archer arrives. There’s a problem with the plasma exhaust and it’s having an effect on half the systems in the ship. The captain asks if it would be a good idea to drop out of warp. Trip says give him a minute; he thinks he will figure it out. A console promptly catches fire. He decides it would be a good idea to drop out of warp. On the bridge, T’Pol thinks she’s found the problem.
Something is distorting their wake pattern. Archer asks how much damage would be done to the warp nacelles if they ignited the plasma exhaust. Should be none, with precautions. This is done and it seems there is a ship out there, hidden with stealth technology. The captain hails them and asks them to back away and respond. They respond, and the translator says they are complying and please don’t harm them. Archer has no intention of harming them, but would like an explanation. An engine malfunction; they were using Enterprise‘s warp field. Archer is willing to help, if they disconnect the stealth.
Trip is going to go over and stay there for three days, because it takes 3 hours to decompress each way. T’Pol says the Xyrillians can synthesise protein and carbohydrates, but she has no idea how it will taste. Trip should be diplomatic. Coming from the person who has just insulted human food. Travis flies Trip over in a shuttlepod and he begins to decompress.
T’Pol informs Archer that Trip is contacting them. Again. He isn’t enjoying the decompression. He’s finally let out of the airlock after going through a test. The Xyrillians have prepared a meal and recommend he get some rest. Trip wants to look at the engine right away, even though his perceptions seem to be off. He and a Xyrillian, Ah’Len, work on the engine but Trip is having trouble concentrating. He contacts the Enterprise again; he’s having more trouble adjusting than expected. Archer speaks to the Xyrillian captain, Trena’L; Trena’L says Trip will be fine, but he needs some rest. Archer asks if that will work? They have had a lot of experience with alien visitors. Archer speaks to Trip again and tells him to have a rest. If he’s not better afterwards, they’ll bring him back. That’s an order.
The rest helps a lot and Ah’Len offers him something that is the closest they can come to water. There’s an electrical charge when she touches Trip’s skin. They head back to do the repairs. T’Pol is speaking to Trip about the repairs and he tells her there’s grass growing on the floor. It’s green. Is Vulcan grass green? T’Pol reminds Trip to get back on track. The next step will take a while and Ah’Len wants to show Trip something. The Xyrillians have a holodeck. They chat on the holodeck and play a game; Ah’Len seems fascinated by Trip.
With the repairs complete, Trip returns and the Xyrillians depart. Reed notices a lump on Trip’s wrist and suggests an allergic reaction. According to Dr Phlox, it isn’t. Did Trip have any romance onboard the vessel? Was he intimate with anyone? Because Trip is pregnant. Trip asks how that happened. Phlox thinks it shouldn’t be difficult to recollect an intimate situation of that type. The captain and T’Pol are told. T’Pol consistently makes rude remarks about Trip’s amorous adventures and Archer is finding it hard not to laugh. Trip is telling the truth; he wasn’t intimate in a way he’d know about. It seems the game had an unusual side effect. Dr Phlox warns him there may be more reactions. There are.
They do need to find the Xyrillians again, to help deal with this pregnancy.